SINGAPORE plans to restrict the reach of foreign broadcasters who engage in domestic politics, Minister for Information and the Arts Lee Yock Suan said in parliament.

"I will soon be introducing a bill to amend the Singapore Broadcasting Authority Act to provide the minister with the power to declare any foreign broadcasting service to be engaging in the domestic politics of Singapore, and to limit its distribution," Lee told the Singapore parliament Mar 10.

The minister made his comments in response to a question on the effects of foreign media competition.

He said conditions could then be imposed on errant foreign broadcasting services.

Lee said the ministry for information and the arts (MITA) intended to extend its existing policy on foreign magazines and newspapers to include foreign broadcasters.

Foreign publications, regulated through the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act, deemed to be engaging in domestic politics can have their circulation restricted.

The law had been used in the past against the Economist and the Asian Wall Street Journal.

Lee said the foreign media had come around to accept this policy and Singapore's right of reply over the years. He said the system of regulations on foreign broadcasts would be similar to that on foreign newspapers.

"Our aim is not to ban information but to restrict subscriber and advertising revenue to an errant channel," he said.

Lee said foreign media operate in Singapore as a matter of privilege not of right.

He said foreign media were welcome to report on local developments in Singapore, but they must not engage in domestic politics as this was the preserve of Singaporeans.

According to MITA's Singapore 2000 book, a total of 218 accredited correspondents and camera crew, representing some 72 international news agencies, newspapers and broadcasting stations were based in Singapore at the end of 1999.